Springer Medicinal Mushrooms: Recent Progress in Research and Development

  Presents the latest R & D information on medicinal mushrooms from diverse geographical locations Offers comprehensive coverage of the most important application areas of medicinal mushrooms Includes contributions by eminently experienced researchers in the field of medicinal mushrooms    Medicinal mushrooms are increasingly gaining attention worldwide because of their pharmacologically bioactive compounds, which have demonstrated potent and unique clinical properties. Scientific studies carried out during the last decade have confirmed their efficacy in treating a wide range of diseases. Extracts and bioactive compounds obtained from mushrooms have been used medicinally as anticancer, immunomodulator, antibacterial, antiviral, anti-inflammatory, anti-atherosclerotic, neuroprotectant, cardioprotectant, antioxidant, and anti-hypoglycemic agents, and in stem cell-based therapies.Introducing readers to the latest developments in, and ongoing research efforts on, medicinal mushrooms, this book gathers articles contributed by eminent researchers in different disciplines and from around the globe. Highlighting the tremendous potential of mushrooms for the development of new drugs, the topics covered include but are not limited to:       Recent progress in research on the pharmaceutical potential of medicinal mushrooms and prospects for their clinicalapplication           Edible mushroom neuronutraceuticals: Basis of therapeutics          Overview of therapeutic efficacy of mushrooms          Mushrooms – a wealth of resources for prospective stem cell-based therapies          Mushrooms as potential natural cytostatics From the Back Cover   Presents the latest R & D information on medicinal mushrooms from diverse geographical locations Offers comprehensive coverage of the most important application areas of medicinal mushrooms Includes contributions by eminently experienced researchers in the field of medicinal mushrooms    Medicinal mushrooms are increasingly gaining attention worldwide because of their pharmacologically bioactive compounds, which have demonstrated potent and unique clinical properties. Scientific studies carried out during the last decade have confirmed their efficacy in treating a wide range of diseases. Extracts and bioactive compounds obtained from mushrooms have been used medicinally as anticancer, immunomodulator, antibacterial, antiviral, anti-inflammatory, anti-atherosclerotic, neuroprotectant, cardioprotectant, antioxidant, and anti-hypoglycemic agents, and in stem cell-based therapies.Introducing readers to the latest developments in, and ongoing research efforts on, medicinal mushrooms, this book gathers articles contributed by eminent researchers in different disciplines and from around the globe. Highlighting the tremendous potential of mushrooms for the development of new drugs, the topics covered include but are not limited to:       Recent progress in research on the pharmaceutical potential of medicinal mushrooms and prospects for their          clinical application.       Edible mushroom neuronutraceuticals: Basis of therapeutics       Overview of therapeutic efficacy of mushrooms        Mushrooms – a wealth of resources for prospective stem cell-based therapies        Mushrooms as potential natural cytostatics About the Author Professor/Dr. Dinesh Chandra Agrawal has more than 36 years of research experience in plant biotechnology of diverse species including medicinal plants and medicinal mushrooms. After serving for 31 years, in 2013, he superannuated as a chief scientist and professor of biological sciences at the CSIR-National Chemical Laboratory, Pune. Currently, he is working as a professor in the Department of Applied Chemistry, Chaoyang University of Technology (CYUT), Taiwan. He has more than 180 publications including four books to his credit on different aspects of plant biotechnology including medicinal plants and m